Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.
EAT
Oct. 6: Maritime Magic
Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, 1417 Thames St. 7 p.m. $110. 410-685-0295.
On Friday night, fulfill all your foodie dreams at one of the best benefits in Baltimore. Underneath the stars against the backdrop of the rippling harbor, sample your way through delectable dishes from more than 80 top area restaurants, including classic favorites like Birroteca, Cunningham’s, and Waterfront Kitchen, and new go-tos like Sandlot, Minnow, and Points South Latin Kitchen. Wash it all down with local beer from Union Craft, Diamondback, and Heavy Seas, to name a few, plus wine and booze from the likes of Old Line Spirits and Lyon Distilling. With a rocking music lineup, silent auction, and annual chefs’ competition to tie it all together, it’ll be an exceptionally memorable night, especially since all proceeds go to support Living Classrooms, one of Baltimore’s longest standing nonprofits for disadvantaged youth and adults.
DRINK
Oct. 7: Baltimore Craft Beer Festival
Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston St. 12-5 p.m. $15-55. 410-252-9463.
This Saturday, grab your growlers and hop on over to Canton Waterfront Park to celebrate the city’s craft beer boom. This small-batch brew festival features unlimited samplings from more than 40 Maryland breweries, from seasoned veterans The Brewer’s Art, Flying Dog, and Oliver Brewing Co. to up-and-comers like Attaboy, Black Flag, and Hysteria. Don’t miss the homebrew competition with Nepenthe, the beer yoga session led by HopAsana, a feast of local food trucks, and the Battle of the Brewskies band contest. Proceeds support Strong City Baltimore, which works to strengthen neighborhoods through community programs and invested partnerships.
SEE
Oct. 7-8: Baltimore Open Studio Tour
Locations vary. Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. 443-263-4350.
Calling all art aficionados: This is your chance to peer into the studios of more than 100 area artists and discover where phenomenal art starts. In its 29th year, this citywide event presents local artists with a wide range of styles in every corner of the city, from Woodberry to Brooklyn Park. Explore new and alternative arts spaces, like SpaceCamp and the Baltimore Jewelry Center in Station North, or Terrault in the Bromo Arts District, or Y:Art Gallery in Highlandtown. Get to know local creatives like Annie Howe and her beloved papercuts, Mary Mashburn of local letterpress fame, Taha Heydari and his mesmerizing installations, and Ernest Shaw, who creates some of the city’s most beautiful murals. Presented by the School 33 Art Center in Federal Hill, this self-guided tour with an official map allows art lovers of all kinds to get out and get inspired by Baltimore.
HEAR
Oct. 7: The Local Oyster’s 2nd Anniversary Party
Mt. Vernon Marketplace, 520 Park Ave. 7-11 p.m. Free. 844-748-2537.
What’s a better combo than oysters and live music? This Saturday night, one of Baltimore’s favorite party bands is making its way to the Mt. Vernon Marketplace to celebrate the second birthday of our beloved Local Oyster. Having performed at The Kennedy Center, Rams Head Live, and Baltimore City Hall, this Swingin’ Swamis will bring a gumbo of R&B, rock-and-roll, jazz, and world rhythms, while L.O. devotees slurp down ice-cold, award-winnig bivalves and tip back tall pours of oyster stout. With the city’s best shrimp sammy in hand, boogie down to the groovy sounds of this musical sextet with shell-ebrity owner Nick Schauman and cheers to his evolution from roving shucking stand to Mount Vernon mainstay. Long live the Local Oyster!
DO
Oct. 7-8: Fells Point Fun Fest
Thames St. at Broadway. Sat. 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. 410-675-8900.
In 1966, Fells Point started a small neighborhood festival to fight the proposed highway that would have cut through the heart of the historic ’hood. Thanks to a local outpouring and diehard efforts by the likes of Barb Mikulski, that dreaded road never came, and over the past 51 years, that little festival has grown to mass proportions, reaching as high as 100,000 attendees in 2016. This year, they’re scaling things back to highlight the artists, restaurants, and businesses that made Fells Point great in the first place, while also supporting the revitalization of the neighborhood. Sample snacks from the area’s best eateries, comb the cobblestone streets with local beer in hand, and peruse a handful of local crafters, hawking homemade goods. Maryland bands will be performing from two stages, with revered Fells regulars like the Kelly Bell Band and Sean K. Preston, while the music at local haunts like Cat’s Eye Pub and Admiral’s Cup will be playing into the wee hours of the night.